Fredericksburg Community Planning Project
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Home to our nation’s first President, George Washington, the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia serves as a living history book full of many events and lessons about America’s development. This town offers insights about George Washington’s childhood as well as views of colonial life, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War. Its vast registry of preserved monuments, landmarks and major battlefields, enables visitors to have an intimate, sensory experience with our nation’s past. One can observe the location where Thomas Jefferson penned the Statute for Religious Freedom or trace major battles between the Union and Confederate armies.
Only fifty miles outside of our nation’s capital, Fredericksburg is located in Planning District 16, surrounded by four counties: Stafford, Spotsylvania, King George and Caroline. Its central position to these localities enables the city to be a regional hub for social services and cultural resources. As these counties experience more growth and development, Fredericksburg’s citizens and leaders are faced with determining the city’s role and direction.
To assist Fredericksburg in addressing regional growth issues and challenges, a coalition of citizens, businesses, foundations and community organizations contracted Concordia to initiate a community planning process. This process would engage Fredericksburg’s residence and stakeholders in an authentic dialogue that involves sharing ideas, concerns and strategies to develop a community plan for the city’s future. The product of the process is an increased awareness of issues and agreement on solutions that meet the needs of diverse constituencies.
The group met in January 2003 and named process the Fredericksburg Community Planning Project.
